Wreckage believed to be from 1997 plane crash found

ST. IGNACE, Mich. (AP) — Authorities believe they have discovered the wreckage of a small plane that crashed more than 20 years ago in northern Michigan.

The Mackinac County sheriff’s office says national forest personnel found the wreckage Wednesday in the Hiawatha National Forest near St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula.

A single-engine Piper took off Sept. 14, 1997, from Drummond Island in Lake Huron. The 45-year-old pilot, Mark Davies, and his wife, Janet, were heading to Howell, about 300 miles (480 kilometers) to the south. A flight plan wasn’t filed.

The National Transportation Safety Board says the plane was seen on radar flying south, then turning and flying north. Then it disappeared.

A four-day search failed to find the remains of the couple or the plane.